Fighting Fire
by ellieboots2810
Summary: When the Northern lights appear in the sky, Jack knows something is wrong. When he and the other Guardians gather, MiM alerts them of a new enemy. Jack is ready to fight with his friends to protect children, but underestimates his foe. He never thought he would be powerless against a rival. Fire and Ice do NOT mix. But when Jamie is threatened, Jack doesn't hesitate to protect him!
1. Chapter 1

Snowflakes drifted from the smooth, grey sky landing gracefully on the sheet of glistening ice that covered the bustling streets of London. As the sun set, the frost shimmered and sparkled on rooftops and cars, on patches of slippery pavement and frozen ponds. The wind accompanied the snows fall, whistling through peoples hair and piles of paperwork left in open windows. Adults observed the weather with a displeasing shake of the head whilst children screamed in delight, attempting to catch the elegant flakes of snow dancing through the air.

Far above the disapproval and excitement, perched on top of Big Ben, sat a frail figure. His thin legs and bare feet dangled over the edge, knocking gently against the hands of the clock. A baggy, blue hoodie was scattered with beautiful patterns of frost trailing up the sleeves and around the neck whilst pale, ice-cold hands played with a frozen staff. The wind rustled through the boys silver hair and made a smile appear on his face.

"Hey Wind," The boy chirped, floating to his feet, effortlessly "Time to go home?"

The Wind replied with a sharp gust of cold air that lifted the teen off his feet for a few seconds before letting him bounce back to the floor.

"Ok, take me home buddy."

But just then, Jack let his gaze flicker up to the sky. Waves of luminescent light weaved through the snow clouds. The Northern Lights!

"Change of plan, don't think I'm heading home yet."

With one last look towards the English city, now under a blanket of snow, the boy fell backwards off the tower, only to be caught in the Winds embrace and carried off into the night.

"You know where to take me."

**XXXX**

"Thanks buddy." He flashed the wind a pearly white grin before entering North's workshop. Inside he was greeted with the still stunning sight of busy yeti's and elves rushing around and frantically fixing toys. The variety of colours and noises was enough to make even Pitch Black gasp in awe, every aisle, every floor seemed to be filled with wondrous inventions and fascinating sights. Flying contraptions whizzed around the spinning globe, scattered with lights in the centre of the grand building. Still not over the pure awesomeness of it all, the boys mouth hung slightly open as his bright blue eyes seemed to absorb all they could. In a slight daze, he meandered through the hall, leaving behind a small trail of ice.

"Jack Frost!" North's booming voice and open arms greeted him just as he had leaped onto the room facing the Globe.

"Hey, North. How's things?" Jack replied, swinging his staff over his shoulder.

"I will tell you, but we must wait for others." North signaled to a chair but Jack just chuckled and flew up to sit on the wooden scaffolding. When North had to go off and deal with a Yeti who seemed to have painted a bundle of toys the wrong colour, Jack looked up at the Moon. With a smile on his face, he whispered "What have you got for us this time?"

The Moon didn't answer.

**Authors Note:  
****I know this chapter is a little short but it's just to get things rolling. I'm not sure how often I'll get to write a new chapter but I'll try to keep writing as consistently as possible. This is my first ever fan-fiction story so please be a little lenient on the reviews :) I appreciate any constructive criticism and tips as they are the key to improvement. Let me know if you like it so far and keep your eyes peeled because things are about to 'Heat Up' in the next few chapters - see what I did there?  
Thanks for taking your time to read my work - Ellie x**


	2. Chapter 2

After about an hour of swinging upside down from the wooden beam, freezing a couple of elves and throwing snowballs at Yeti's, Jack joined his fellow Guardians as Sandy arrived.

"What's the problem Mate?" Bunny asked, hopping over to join the circle with Tooth, Sandy and North. Jack stood leaning on his staff, just outside the huddle.

"It's not Pitch, is it?" A panicked Tooth queried, her eyes full of a sudden worry. Next to her, Babytooth squeaked and flew under her feathers at the sound of _his_ name.

"No, it is not Pitch. Do not worry Tooth!" North's strong Russian accent echoed around the Grand Workshop.

"Well then what is it? It better be good, 'cause I've got bloody eggs to decorate!" Bunny snapped.

Sandy started to create images in golden sand above his head. _Sleeping Children. Dreams. Night. A calender._

"Sandy's right, me and Sandy have to work every night, every year. We have quite a busy schedule North." chimed Tooth.

"Ok, Ok, I get to point. Man In Moon spoke to me."

Jack's head snapped up from where he had been making a tower out of ice-cubes. Once he had lost concentration, the tower tumbled to the floor and shattered causing everyone to look at the source of the noise, but Jack didn't care.

"W-what?" He stuttered "Like, properly spoke to you?"

North looked at Jack's serious face, something that was very rare for the mischievous spirit. "Not really 'spoke', just images, a couple words whispered. But it was important. The children are in danger."

Tooth covered her mouth with her delicate hand to stifle a gasp, whilst Bunny's ear dropped slightly and Sandy donned a frown. Jack walked slowly towards North and the others.

"What kind of trouble?" Bunny asked.

"There is new enemy, new threat. But ..." North stopped, sighing and looking at the ground. His shoulders dropped and he brought a ginormous hand to slide across his forehead, showing signs of stress. Sandy tinkled slightly as three full stops appeared over him. Everything was quiet, the atmosphere was tense.

"But he did not tell me what threat was." North reluctantly brought his gaze to meet the others, his face showing traces of shame that he could not provide any more information or be of any more help. "We do not know who or what we are up against. What to expect, what to prepare, how the threat is to children." He finished with his head dropping to face the floor again. Tooth planted a comforting hand on the big-mans clenched fist, making hers look minuscule in comparison.

"We are the Guardians. We have to try." She shot North a reassuring smile.

"Yeah! Mate, we brought down Pitch Black, we can bring down another Nelly any day! Nothing gets past this Bunny." The fiesty Guardian instinctively twizzled a boomarang between his paws. Sandy's high-pitched and slightly muted chuckle was followed by a thumbs-up.

Jack looked between his friends. In a way, he felt privileged to be among a group of such brave spirits, even though the Kangaroo sometimes tested his nerves. None the less, he took a deep breath and conjured up a snowball. Juggling it is his hand, his lips curled into a cheeky grin as he said "Let's bring 'em down"

And with that, they headed to the Sleigh, with Bunny protesting the whole way.

**Authors Note:  
****I just couldn't wait. I really hope you are all enjoying it so far. I'm still building up the story a bit at the moment so hang on, there's action and drama heading it's way. I'm gonna hop off to bed but please review. I'd love to hear what you think of it. Hopefully, I should be posting the next chapter tomorrow, maybe more if I'm in the creative mood! Until then, sweet dreams - Ellie x**


	3. Chapter 3

"Aww, Bunny. You Ok? You look a little green." Jack jeered at the Easter Spirit. He was sitting cross-legged on the wing on North's sleigh. Actually _in _ the sleigh sat Sandy, Tooth and a petrified-looking coney.

"Why I outta-" Bunny started to swipe a paw towards Jack but instantly regretted it as the Wind caused the Sleigh to wobble and Bunny to sway uncomfortably.

Jack just laughed and floated to sit just behind North. "Careful Kangaroo, Wind's a little protective" There was a groan of exasperation behind him, but that was all Bunny could manage, afraid of opening his mouth and spewing out carrots. With a jolt, the sleigh bumped to the floor, racking everyone inside a little before coming to a halt. Sandy flittered into the air, pumping his fist. Tooth followed. North chortled and thumped a hand on the youngest Guardians back before kicking his legs over the side to join Sandy and Tooth on solid ground. Jack turned to the slightly shaken-up Pooka.

"Want a hand?" He mocked the Rabbit with a forced face of sympathy.

"Not on your Nelly!" And with that, Bunny bounded out of the Wooden Ride, Jack chasing after him.

"Where are we?" Asked Tooth, a curious expression claiming her features.

They were in a clearing of a forest. Tall, dark trees surrounded them in every direction. The floor was littered with Pine Cones and Autumn leaves, making every step each of them took echo through the spacious wood with a crunch. Four of the Guardians shivered as the combination of a slight breeze, the dark of night and being in the presence of Jack Frost made for quite a chill. But that wasn't the only reason they shivered ...

"Do you feel that?" Bunny's ears pricked up, twitching to face the smallest of sounds. His question was barely a whisper.

"Something is wrong." North's deep voice louder than Bunny's.

Suddenly, a snap of a twig in the distance caught all their attention. Sandy readied his whips. Bunny, equipped with his Boomerangs, took on a fighting stance. North unsheathed his Duo of Blades. Tooth flicked her wings with aggression and Jack gripped his staff tightly, causing small sparks of ice to shoot out of the end. Out of the corner of Jack's eye, a shadow whipped through the trees but he didn't dare to move. The Guardians stood in a well co-ordinated defensive circle, back to back, protecting all sides of one another. Then Sandy leaped back as a flash of Orange light leaped out at him knocking the others out of formation. The leaves and dirt on the ground where Sandy had been moments ago were smoking and scorched, a small amount of heat radiating off them. Jack didn't like this, Jack didn't like this at all! Fire ...

"Well, well, well," A raspy, cracked, male voice penetrated the silence of the Forest. Another flame darted from the Shadow's, hitting North's sword and making him yelp and drop it in surprise. "I never thought I'd have the pleasure to meet the Guardians!"

"If you want an autograph, you could just ask nicely." Jack joked, trying to hide the tremble in his voice. Already, the warmth left by the attacking inferno was making him feel nervous.

"The Guardian of fun, living up to his reputation, I see?" His words were full of confidence.

"Show Yourself!" Commanded North, picking up his fallen sword.

Once again, the unknown man thrust a ball of fire towards Tooth, making her squeal and duck away from the danger. Bunny leapt up into the air and threw his Boomerangs at the source of the Blaze. However, when they zoomed back to the Guardian, they were burnt to a crisp. Sandy whipped blindly into the shadows, his Golden Sand illuminating parts of the trees. When his whip wrapped around the ankle of the enemy, he chimed in delight and dragged the man towards the group of frustrated Spirits.

As the Guardians cautiously crowded round to face the foe, Jack felt a surpising burning in his chest, like a roaring fire was spreading through his ribs, licking at his heart. He stifled a groan and stumbled backwards, clutching his torso. The Wind catching him before he fell to the ground. Over the thumping in his head, he heard the harsh cackle of the Spirit who could spit _Fire_!

**Authors Note:  
As promised, another Chapter again today. I will probably post another up later tonight as I've got homework to do. Please review, follow and favourite. ALSO, let me know some of your ideas about what you would like to happen in the story. PM me or leave your ideas in your review and I'll definitely incorporate them in. I would love to hear your thoughts and creative tips. See you tonight - Eliie x**


	4. Chapter 4

"Jack?" Tooth turned her head away from their new rival to face the Pale Teen with a concerned look on her face. "Are you Ok?"

Jack didn't know if he was Ok. He'd never felt something like that before in his 300 years of being Jack Frost. The pain had subsided a little but his chest was still sore. The Wind whistled around him, making sure he was safe and able to stand on his own. Jack looked up, leaning on his staff - a little more than usual - and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little dizzy from the adrenaline, you know?" It was the best excuse he could come up with. Tooth didn't look fully convinced so he floated to her side and smiled reassuringly.

Then he looked down ...

The source of the commotion minutes ago now lay on the ground, leaves scratching his face as the Wind began to pick up around them. "Calm down, buddy." Jack whispered to the gusts of air. In response, the wind died down totally leaving an eery absence of sound and five Guardians inspecting a Spirit below. North had his hands on his hips, making himself as big and intimidating as he could, whilst Tooth had backed away towards the Sleigh, Babytooth following. Bunny laughed, mockingly, at the man wrapped in golden sand whilst Sandy himself dawdled to sit next to the Fairies, sick of the sight of him. Jack however, couldn't remove his gaze from the man below.

He was the opposite of Jack! His skin was smooth and tanned, and his hair was a bright-flaming red that fell just below his ears and was matted over his forehead. He had narrowed, cinnamon eyes, that flashed red every now-and-then and he wore a coal black cloak that smoked at his broad shoulders and around his feet. The man himself looked stuck in his late 20's and Jack would say he was the same height as Bunny but broader around the shoulders ... much like Pitch.

Another wave of searing hot pain forced Jack to back away from the Blaze-Man below. It was less of a shock than last time but still left Jack struggling to breathe. Trying to catch his breath, the boy slumped against a near by tree.

"So are we going somewhere exciting?" The man called up from the floor, not breaking his gaze with North's furious eyes.

North just picked him up by the scruff of his neck, pinching the coal coloured cloth in his strong fist. "You do not speak. We are Guardians! And we take you with us!" He bellowed. With that, he dragged the Evil Spirit towards the sleigh. As Bunny turned to follow North's footsteps, he glanced towards Jack. If he wasn't mistaken, Jack thought he saw a flicker of worry cross the Coney's features before his head twisted back to the others._ What was going on?_

When he and Bunnymund reached the Sleigh, the Man was strapped to the floor, a defensive Sandman and Tooth-fairy sat either side of the squirming prisoner. The Winter Spirit sat alone at the back, not wishing to be any closer to the Blaze-Man than was necessary. Something about that man made Jack feel uncomfortable. Something about that man made Jack feel _weak_. Something about that man-  
His thoughts were cut off as heat began to radiate off the Spirit at their feet making his friends stares match his. The Blaze-Man had started to writhe with shouts of protest flying from his yellowed teeth.

"YOU THINK THIS CAN HOLD ME?" He roared, looking at the sand straps binding him to the floor. The Sleigh began to shake.

_Snap._

"YOU THINK YOU GUARDIANS CAN _STOP_ ME?" The sleigh was wobbling dangerously through the air.

_Snap._

"YOU THINK THAT I CAN'T BREAK FREE OF THESE FEEBLE BONDS?" Jack winced, the pain in his chest rising again as the anger in the man grew.

_Snap. Snap. SNAP!_

The sand straps keeping the Evil Spirit from breaking free had all split. Flames were beginning to wrap around the Sleigh like a snake strangles it's prey. North howled in anger and Fairy was already grabbing hold of Bunny to lower him to the ground. Sandy noticed what she was doing and forced his sand to embrace North, ready to evacuate the Sleigh when it was engulfed into flames.

"YOU CAN NOT TRAP ME! YOU CAN NOT CAPTURE ME!" The Blaze-Man was shooting fire in all directions, fueled by his own rage! The conflagration roared in their ears and the wood beneath them began to splinter. Tooth and Sandy took that as a sign to get moving, lifting Bunnymund and a wailing North into the sky with them. Jack, however, could barely move.

The heat was burning through his mind. His eyes watched the dancing flames, almost like he was hypnotized or frozen in fear. He barely noticed the wind calling him - pleading him - to jump away whilst his friends above shouted at him to get out of crumbling carriage. But the fire in his chest, the fire in the sleigh, the fire melting away all Jack was kept his eyes on the Blaze before him. With an ear-splitting creak, the sleigh collapsed and Jack snapped back to reality. A small yelp of surprise escaped his lips before he was falling through the shattered shards of wood. Clutching his staff close to his pained torso, he let himself fall. Above him, a voice boomed.

"I. AM. INFERNO."

**Authors Note:  
Right! We are starting to get into the swing of things now. Took me a while but I finally came up with the protagonists name - INFERNO! What do you think? Too cheesy? I kinda like it. Not sure if Chapter 5 will be up today or tomorrow, depends where you are in the world. Again, please leave reviews, favourite and follow. Tell me what you think as I'd love to know and send me your ideas. Hope you're all enjoying it so far, I'm loving writing it. I'll post Chapter 5 soon - Ellie x**


	5. Chapter 5

Splintered and charred wood showered around Jack as he fell through the sky towards to ground. He couldn't think, he couldn't move so he just let himself sail through the air, falling, falling, _falling ..._

The Wind caught the limp boy in a cyclone of gales, supporting him in mid air. His silver hair whipped into his sapphire eyes and his limbs were being dragged in every direction as the wind struggled to keep him airborne. Seeing the struggle, Sandy set North on the ground and conjured his golden grains to cradle the boy, allowing the Wind to ease away from the Winter Spirit.

Back on the ground, Tooth and Bunny stood to the side of North who had his hands outstretched, trying to assist Sandy at getting Jack to the ground safely and unharmed. North caught the almost-lifeless body of the youngest Guardian and slung his hand over his shoulder, taking most of Jack's weight. North signaled at Bunny to take the frosted staff that was loosely hanging from Jack's fingers and slipped out a Snow Globe from underneath his thick, scarlet robe.

"North Pole." He whispered to the shimmering ball in his hand. Then he tossed it to the floor next to Tooth, creating a beautiful, round Portal next to the Fairy. "Let us go. Back to North Pole." North said. And with that, the five Guardians vanished into the centre of the swirling mist.

**XXXX**

When they reached the other side of the glittering spiral haze, Jack began to regain his strength. As North tumbled through the Portal, clutching Jack's hand over his shoulder, Jack planted his feet firmly on the floor and slipped his hand out of his friends grasp, North hardly noticing. Wobbling slightly, he stumbled to the side to clutch onto a wooden pillar until the world around him stopped spinning. He was barely able to recollect the previous events. Flashes of the scene flickered under his closed eyelids. _Flying, shadows, smoke, sand, straps, the sleigh, fire, falling_. Not entirely sure of how to put together all of these images yet, he cautiously opened his eyes. The Guardians were scattered around him. North was storming off to his study while Sandy was trying to calm a flustered Tooth ( who was trying to calm a flustered BabyTooth ). As he rolled his head against the pillar to look to his side, he was met with Bunnymund's furry face, inches from his. Surprised by how silent - and close - the coney had been, Jack instinctively jolted back, away from the rabbit.

"Easy there Frostbite! Just giving you ya' walking-stick back." Bunny said. He held out the ancient staff, returning it to it's rightful owner. Jack enclosed a pale hand around it, and instantly, frost spiraled from underneath his fingers and trailed up the scepter, a light breeze emitting from the hook. Bunny let go quickly, a little taken aback.

"Thanks," Jack muttered, looking at the Pooka's emerald eyes which were fixated on the now ice-covered staff, swinging by Jack's side. With a gulp, Bunny lifted his gaze to meet Jack's.

"Care to explain what 'appened back there? I get you're Jack Frost an' all but ya' can't just _freeze_ in the middle of a fight mate!" Bunny exclaimed.

"Ha ha, very funny," replied Jack sarcastically. He didn't want to be pitied of worried about by his friends, or constantly fussed over by Tooth. Although she had a heart of Gold, she tended to fret _way_ too much. So he decided against sharing the strange sensations he'd felt back in the clearing with his companions. Instead he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Just not used to Fire. Being the Winter Spirit and all, I'm not exactly up to having my powers literally melting away before me. And as for the '_freezing_ in action' thing, I was just trying to decide what to do in the 'heat' of the moment." He added a pun to counter Bunny's. No way he was getting out-witted by the Guardian of Hope. He was the Guardian of fun and he defended his title with pride. Bunny's ears twitched like he was trying to hear the lie in Jack's statement but he seemed happy that Jack was well enough to still make puns and have his usual sarcastic tone lace his words. In Bunny's book, Jack was Ok.

"Whatever flakey, but don't let it happen again 'cause you ain't the only one who could get hurt." And with that he turned and hopped off to find North.

Jack was pleased that Bunnymund hadn't bugged him anymore about it as he wasn't sure how long he could keep throwing excuses to everyone. It was then he suddenly realised he was still too warm from the flames so he turned to Sandy and shouted "Just going outside to cool off a bit." Before the Sand Spirit could stop him, he flew out of the workshop and went to settle down in the snow of the North Pole. Laying on his back with his hands behind his head, he stared up at MiM, letting a sigh sail from his mouth, his breath transforming into a swirling mist above him. MiM was bright tonight. Brighter and bigger than usual. The Wind whisked away the clouds concealing the Moon in the sky so Jack could see him properly. _It's almost like you know what happened_, Jack thought to the moon, _Like you know why I couldn't do anything._ The Moon stayed silent, translucent clouds occasionally drifting in front of the silvery light. He wasn't sure how long he lay in the snow, admiring the Moon, mumbling to the Wind, but eventually he fell asleep, his mind soaring into the marvels of his dreams. For once, the night was completely silent. The Wind wrapped Jack in a blanket of snow as he rolled onto his side and curled into himself for comfort. But far up in the Sky, the Moon stared at the boy he had saved, the boy who _had_ saved. And although the Moon wanted to tell him so many things, he just watched him from behind the clouds.

When Jack woke the next morning, he didn't notice the Moon still in the sky, concealed behind the shroud of snow clouds. MiM had watched over the youngest Guardian as he slept last night, making sure he was safe. But he knew he wouldn't be able to protect Jack Frost from the things that were coming. He wouldn't be able to protect any of them.

**Authors Note:  
****Wow! I can't believe how many of you have read this. It's amazing! As promised, Chapter 5 today. If you can, please follow, favourite and review. A couple of words I can give you about the next couple of chapters are ...  
_Fire, Ice, Fight, Friendship, and Backfire!  
_Make of hat what you will and keep your eyes open for Chapter 6 - Ellie x**


	6. Chapter 6

The sun woke Jack up the next morning, as it always did. He stretched and yawned and was greeted by the familiar breeze that followed him everywhere. He groped around for his staff, then sat up and opened his eyes. At first he didn't know quite where he was, then yesterday came flooding back into his mind. _North Pole_, he told himself.

He glided to his feet and looked around. Snow, snow, ice, snow, frost, icicles, more snow ... Of course this didn't bother Jack, he was just used to it being a bit more fun-filled and intricately designed. With a wave of his staff, snow flakes began to flutter from the grey clouds above him. Each snow flake was unique, and Jack saw them fall almost in slow motion, the tiniest of details jumping out at him. He loved his powers, he loved the cold, he loved the beauty and tranquility of the winter to balance out his mischievous capers, and it was literally all he could remember ( Well, properly remember ).

Slowly, the wind blew a gust of snow into Jack's face, making the boy cough and splutter. He just chuckled and froze the air around him, making the wind visible in small patches of mist. The Wind wanted to play, as per usual so Jack taunted the wind for a while longer before turning to face North's workshop in the distance, high up in the mountains.

"Mind giving me a lift?" He called up to the gales circling him, and almost instantly Jack was being swept off his feet and towards the busy Christmas factory.

**XXXX**

When Jack re-entered the hall, he was met by distressed voices. _Strange._ When he floated up to find what the disturbance was about, Tooth flew up to him and dragged him by his wrist towards the Globe.

"Tooth! What the-" Jack stopped trying to wriggle out of her grip when he faced the spinning structure, dotted with lights. Only something was wrong. The lights, they were flickering. Some simply stuttered and came back on whilst others flickered out totally.

"You checked the batteries?" Jack tried to lighten the tense atmosphere around him with a sarcastic comment, one of his specialties. But this time? Wrong move! Bunny's head snapped round to face him so fast, he honestly thought the coney had severely damaged himself.

"You think this a _joke_ Frostbite? You think children losing their faith is a _joke? _You think our powers fading is a _JOKE?_" Bunny practically screamed the last word, fury etched into every feature on his face. His bushy, black eyebrows knitted together in a raging expression as he pointed an accusing finger at Jack's chest, while moving closer to the young Spirit.

"No I-"

"You're a Guardian as well now! So don't think for one second that if we go down, you ain't coming with us!"

"Bunny! That's _enough_!" Tooth warned. The Easter Spirit stopped approaching the slightly scared-looking boy and slowly turned away from his hurt look. Jack w_as_ hurt. How could Bunny think he didn't care for them, didn't care for their _lives. _Ok, so his joke was a little out of order, but surely he didn't deserve _that_. "Sorry." Was all he could mutter to the back of the Pooka's head. Then he turned back to the Globe.

"What's wrong with them?" He asked to the group of on-edge Spirits, all eyeing the Globe warily. Sandy popped a question mark above his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"The children are losing faith. Could it be the man we stop last night? What is name?" North scratched his beard, thinking deeply.

"He called himself Inferno." Tooth mumbled, clearly not wanting to recall the events from yesterday evening. Jack shivered at the name, and North's face creased. _Would not want to be that dude right now._ Jack thought to himself, remembering how much North had loved his Sleigh. 'Everybody loves the Sleigh', well except Bunnymund of course ...

"But what could a man that can conjure fire be doing to make children lose faith?" said Bunny, rejoining the conversation but ignoring Jack totally. Sandy stood in between them, looking from one to the other then rolling his eyes at the stubbornness of both of them. He would never understand Bunny and Jack's rivalry.

Suddenly, the room darkened slightly. No less than 20 lights had gone out at once, all in the same area. Jack searched the Globe to see where the faith had been lost but immediately regretted it. _No!_ Jack thought to himself as he saw where on the Globe the lights had all disappeared. All the Guardians seemed to have stopped breathing and slowly, their gazes fell to Jack in sympathy and worry. Jack couldn't think, he couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe. Springing up to the Globe, he banged on the village absent of any lights. And he didn't stop. He kept banging, and punching, and thumping and slamming the Globe, willing the force to make the lights  
re-appear. Ice was starting to creep over the metal islands and continents, and the Wind began to thrash around the Factory, slamming toys into sprinting elves and knocking Yeti's into one another as they scrambled for cover. The Guardians below tried to calm Jack, their hands shielding their faces from the force of the miniature hurricane, but he was out of control. A blizzard was raging outside, the walls of the centuries old workshop shook as the power of Jack Frost threatened to make the building boy would not settle, his fury had come out of nowhere and the Guardians were at a loss at what to do. They never thought Jack could be this vicious, this angry, this _dangerous_! At the pique of his anger, Jack thrust his Staff down on the Globe and shards of ice shot in every direction. Smashing on wood and impaling the floor. After 2 minutes of ferocious and reckless winter weather, it all stopped as soon as it started and all that remained was a ringing reverberating in everyone's heads.

Jack, with shaking hands, slowly lifted his staff off the Globe, revealing a dent where the town was. The town in question was Burgess, and the lights that had flickered out belonged to Jamie Bennett and his friends.

**Authors Note:  
****Phew! Quite a long one I know, but I need time to build up my story a bit more for the next Chapter. I need to work out where things will go and how things will fit together but I do know one thing for sure, the next chapter will be based around Jamie and his friends. I've seen the movie a couple of times but i need to go read up and watch some scenes of Jamie and his friends to get to know their characters a little better. Chapter 7 will probably be a lot shorter as it'll go back a bit to what happened in Burgess just so we all understand, then Chapter 8 is back to the good ol' faithful Guardians we all love. Again, please favourite, follow and leave a review. I'm gonna head off and find Jamie and his friends on YouTube :) - Eliie x**


	7. Chapter 7

00:00

A blue alarm clock ticked as the hands met to strike midnight. Jamie Bennett was fast asleep in his bed, his duvet tucked underneath him and his hand clasped loosely to the corner of his quilt. Jamie's room was filled with miscellaneous toys and clothes. In the far corner of his room, his wardrobe door was slightly ajar, showing odd socks hanging out of the bottom. On his desk were a pile of books; Big Foot: Evidence, How to hide from a fairy, 10 steps to drive a sleigh. On top of the books was a wad of paper and a knocked-over pot of colouring pencils - a couple had rolled onto the floor, and above them, stuck to the wall with chunks of blu-tack, were numerous drawings. Most of the pictures featured five people. A humongous man, towering and aged, standing with his arms crossed over his beard. To the mans right was a tall, lean Rabbit, holding two aboriginal boomerangs in his furry paws. Just below his knees was a small, plump man who's skin was gold and his expression was drawn cheerful. Hovering next to the shoulder of the biggest character was a gorgeous, colourful woman with translucent wings. She had detailed feathers drawn over her body and her face was pink and pretty. In the centre of the page was a boy. He looked around the age of 15-16 and was up to the Rabbits shoulders in height. The boy was smiling and holding a snowball in one hand, the other a hooked stick. And all around him, snowflakes had been drawn.

All the pictures on the wall included at least one of these characters. The majority featured snow and sledges, the occasional few were dotted with girls and boys around the same age as Jamie. Oh, and one featured a smaller, blonde haired girl wearing a wide grin that reached her eyes.

The room began to get colder and sub-consciously, Jamie brought the duvet higher around his shoulders, bringing his feet back into the warmth. Silently, the window slid open. A figure climbed through and crawled off Jamie's desk, seconds later another followed. They crept towards the boy, shadows concealing their faces. Then, one of the silhouettes stretched out his palm to cover the boys mouth.

Immediately, Jamie's eyes snapped open and he tried to scream but a warm hand was muffling the attempt. Squirming, he lashed out at the hand preventing him to call for help another fist snatched hold of his wrist and whispered something in Jamie's ear. The breath was warm on the side of Jamie's neck, before he even heard the words.

"Shhhhhhhhh, Jamie, shhhh, it's us!"

Jamie stopped wriggling at once, and turned his head to face the person still clinging to his arm. Still shrouded by shadow, Jamie turned on his bed-side light and squinted through the sudden brightness to see two familiar faces staring down at him. Caleb and Claude, the twins from down the road, were breathing fast but both held a finger pressed against their lips.

"Hmph-" Jamie tried to speak but then rolled his eyes and looked at Claude who hadn't removed his hand from around Jamie's mouth. Claude promptly withdrew his palm and looked at his brother who followed suit and let go of Jamie's wrist. Able to breathe easier, Jamie whispered sharply "What are you going doing here, how'd you get in?"

"The window." Claude said with a shrug of his shoulders, as if he climbed through peoples bedroom windows every day. "The others are down in your garden. Handy that you left that ladder against your house from Easter or we would've had to ask Caleb to pick the lock."

Jamie turned to the dark-skinned boy next to him who now wore a smug grin and dangled a piece of wire in front of Jamie's nose. _Not even gonna ask_, he thought. Now that he listened more intently, he could pick-up faint voices of children below.

"But why-" started Jamie but Caleb seemed to have figured out what he was going to ask next.

"Why are your friends breaking into your room at midnight on a Friday evening? There's something going on. A fire or something. Pippa saw smoke, but not normal smoke so she grabbed Monty. Then they came calling for us and we went to Cupcake's then yours. It's weird. It's like we could all feel the fire, and that smoke's doing some weird stunts man. But it's worth checking out, could be something_ mysterious_." Caleb garbled. Jamie knew the emphasis on the word 'mysterious' was trying to hint that the Guardians could be involved and Jamie always wanted to help his Spirit friends, or, at the very least, see them again. Claude looked at Jamie with pleading eyes before Jamie swiped off his Duvet and pulled on his jacket and shoes. Behind him, Caleb and Claude fist-pumped.

Jamie leaned out of his window, down at his friends ( also in their pajamas ) below. Monty and Cupcake stood holding a ladder. Pippa waved up at Jamie whilst Monty flashed a nervous grin, his goofy glasses falling slightly down his freckled face. Cupcake just stood there, waiting for them to crawl out of the window and down the wooden steps so they could go investigate. Shaking his head at the adventures he and his friends had, Jamie swung a leg out of the safety of his bedroom and into the unknown of the night.

**XXXX**

"What about if it's a Spirit?" Called Pippa from the back of the entourage of kids clambering through the forest on there own.

"Yeah, wouldn't the Guardians be sorting it out?" Monty's voice trembled as he reluctantly followed his fellows.

"What about if it's just a crazy psychopath with a blow torch?" Chuckled Claude from the middle of the pack. Caleb giggled along with Cupcake and Pippa. Monty paled at his statement while Jamie's face stayed focused, staring into the distance, remaining vigilant.

"Wow, th-thanks for that th-thought Claude!" The nervous, blonde-haired boy stuttered as his words anxiously fell from his mouth.

"Shh ..."

Everyone abruptly stopped as Jamie froze where he stood, quieting them all down. He held an arm out to the side to keep anyone from going any further. As they all became more alert, their ears picked up the low rumble and roar of flames. Almost in unison, six pairs of eyes darted up to the sky. Only there was no sky. Just a thick cloud of smoke, shrouding the stars and Moon from their view. Clever enough to know that smoke is just as dangerous as fire, each of the young inquisitors covered their faces, protecting themselves as much as they could. After looking around at his friends behind him, Jamie swallowed his fear and stepped towards the blaze.

A scream, a shout, then everything went dark.

**Authors Note:  
So this was longer than I was expecting but I liked writing from other character's POV's. This was really fun. Next Chapter is back to Jack and the Guardians. That'll be up tomorrow. If you think it worthy, favourite, follow and review please. Almost 500 views in 2 days! Mental! Inferno'll be returning soon so I will leave you on this lovely cliffhanger. Tell me what you think please, and would love to hear some of your ideas. Posted 3 chapters today! I'm on a roll. - Ellie x**


	8. Chapter 8

Jack slid off the side of the Globe and sat in the corner of the room, hidden in shadows with his knees tucked to his face. Fatigued by his outburst of anger,he breathed heavily, trying to regain some control. The blizzard had subsided outside and the Wind had left the building entirely. He'd never lost control like that before. Well ... there was that one time he had not been able to control his powers, and that was when Sandy had been shot by Pitch's arrow. When Pitch had sent his army of nightmares soaring towards Jack, something inside of him had sparked. His fury and sorrow seemed to combine with his powers and he had sent ice skewering through the black sand, knocking Pitch to the ground. How it had happened, he never knew.

North and Bunnymund stared at the frozen Globe and destroyed workshop with wide, fearful eyes. Neither of them had realised Jack could be _that powerful._ Tooth and Sandy however were approaching the shaking teen, curled-up in the corner. As they got nearer, Tooth held out a hand. "Jack? A-Are you Ok?"Knowing she could communicate better than him, Sandy let Tooth take the lead as he pulled back a little, allowing them their space.

Jack looked up, a few frozen tears fell into his lap. Shaking them off, he glanced up at the Fairies face. "Uh, yeah. Yeah I'm Ok," He crawled onto his knees and pushed himself up, leaving his staff on the floor. Somehow he didn't trust himself enough to pick it up yet. "Sorry. I-I don't know what happened." The boy mumbled, jerking his head, side to side, a little traumatized by himself. Tooth rubbed a warm hand on his shoulder, attempting to comfort him. North and Bunny however continued to wear expressionless faces, still in shock. Breathing deeply, he reached down for his staff, noticing the Easter Spirit take a step back as he did.

"Do you think it's Inferno?" Asked Tooth, trying to break the awkwardness in the air. Sandy shrugged and pointed at Bunnymund.

"Bunny, " North coughed to clear his throat, his normally strong and clear voice now cracked slightly. "Bunny, you mind taking there?" With the absence of the sleigh, the quickest way of getting around were Bunny's tunnels and the Snow Globes.

Slowly tearing his eyes away from Jack who was starting to feel uneasy under the stern glare of the Rabbit, he nodded and thumped his foot to the floor three times. In two seconds, the carpet slid away in a perfect circle, making a deep, dark whole in the ground. Enthusiastically, Sandy clapped his hands and jumped right in, followed by Tooth and North. Wanting to delay walking past the Pooka for as long as possible, Jack eyed him nervously before taking a step toward the pit.

"HURRY UP WILL YA'?" Bunny snapped, spit flying from his mouth and solidifying when it reached the freezing air surrounding Jack. Wincing at the yell, he decided it had to be done eventually, so he jogged to the hole and let himself fall into the chasm below.

**XXXX**

When they all fell from the other end of their quick passage to Burgess, they were met with the strong smell of smoke and a familiar, orange glow.

"What?" breathed North as he pointed a plump pink finger to the sky which was clouded by swirling masses of ash, billowing above them.

"Jamie?" Said Jack, clutching his staff and floating onto a high, tree branch to get a better view of his surroundings. "Jamie!" The source of the smoke was, of course, a fire. And it bore the distinctive mark of Inferno. Just the thought of that man made Jack's stomach twist and his lungs squeeze. That coupled with Jamie and his friends possibly in danger made him almost pass-out. Swaying a bit, Jack gathered his thoughts and commanded his brain to stop thinking of the man. That wasn't important, he had to find the children, he had to find Jamie!

"Jack! Over here!" Tooth called from below. With a leap, he drifted to the ground and stumbled next to Sandy who was holding something in his hand. A piece of scrunched up and burnt paper. Bunnymund took the paper ball from the Sandman and opened it with shaky paws. As soon as the paper was flat in his hands, his face fell and was about to hand it to Jack, when he stopped. Jack eyed the Coney with suspicion.

"Just," Bunny said, pausing as he thought of what to say. "Just, don't lose control." And then he passed the paper to from his furry hands to ice-cold fingers.

"Don't know where you got the idea from." Jack shot Bunnymund a small smile before it fell from his face and his azure eyes brimmed with more tears. On the piece of scorched paper was a drawing. A drawing of five Spirits and six happy children. But in the corner of the paper, scribbled on with coal, was a tall dark figure with an evil grin. Jack turned the drawing over and he read the message scrawled on the back aloud, in a small, trembling voice.

_"No legs have I to dance. No lungs have I to breathe. No life have I to live or die and yet I do all three. What am I?"_

Bunny answered with a grimace. "Fire."

**Authors Note:**

**The next chapter _should_ be up tonight, but I have a lot of homework and revision to do, so whether I get round to editing and publishing it is another question entirely. It's lovely to hear your feedback, and it really brightens my day. Please favourite, follow and review if you enjoyed reading. Chapter 9 here we come! - Ellie x**


	9. Chapter 9

"Jamie? Jamie! Are you Ok?"

Muffled voices woke Jamie from the unexpected darkness that had fallen over him. Snapping his eyes open, he assessed his surroundings. His hands were bound in shackles and chained to a wall. The air around his was thick and warm, no breeze or natural light was anywhere. Stone walls with burning torches imprisoned him and his five friends. Claude and Caleb sat hunched against the wall while Pippa was crying silently and Monty was just staring at the door, his eyes wide and petrified. Cupcake was nearest Jamie and it was her deep, raspy voice that had woken Jamie. from wherever he had been.

"Jamie?" Cupcake asked again.

"Yeah, I'm Ok. Where are we?" Jamie looked around at his scared friends.

"We don't know," Pippa's small voice echoed around the cell. "W-We were w-walking towards th-the fire and f-following you, then sssomeone jumped out a-at you and t-took you into the forest. N-next thing we know, w-we are getting kidn-napped too." Then she burst into tears again, covering her face with her hands.

"Pippa, it's Ok! We'll find a way out. And if not, someone will save us!" Jamie reassured her as best he could.

"Like who? The Police?" Claude said exasperatedly from the other side of the room. Caleb turned to look at Jamie. "No one knows we're missing yet! We could be here for _days_!"

"I'm not talking about the Police." And with all the courage he could must, Jamie said, "I'm talking about the Guardians!"

**XXXX**

Clenching his fists, Jack focused on his breathing, trying to prevent himself from screaming and showering the near-by village in an avalanche. Inferno had the children. Inferno had Jamie. Inferno would _pay._

Sandy waved his hand and pointed in the distance where more smoke had began to rise. All at once, the Guardians sprinted and flew in the direction of the trail of smoke. Whoever this Inferno was, he wasn't being subtle. Alarm bells went off in Sandy's head, trying to warn himself it was probably a trap, but there was no stopping Jack now, and he certainly wasn't going to leave the children.

Once the Spirits had reached the source of the smoke, each fell down an individual hole. Tooth squealed as she fell first when she planted her feet lightly on the ground, followed almost instantly by North, Bunnymund, Sandy and Jack. Sandy silently punished himself for not even trying to stop them and think about where they could end up.

"Is everyone Ok?" Yelled North. He'd landed in a deep, dark cell. The hole he had feel through was now being covered by a ceiling of flames. All the ditches now had fire roofs, in fact.

"I'm Ok." Shouting Tooth. "Yeah, I'm fine and dandy." - Bunny, of course. A faint tinkle confirmed Sandy was alright. But no reply from Jack Frost.

"Jack?" North couldn't hide the concern in his voice.

In the cell he had landed in, stood Jack Frost. Flames roared over his head and the heat burned his insides. Clutching his chest, he fell to his knees, his eyes watering in pain. He gasped for air but there was none, he tried to yell but he had no voice. Instead he rolled onto his back, his chest heaving, his face paling. Jack managed to groan his response, attempting to convey _No, I'm really NOT Ok right now. Kinda need some help_ the best he could. But when he heard a child crying, he immediately tried to concentrate on the sounds around him. _Breathe. Breathe ... Breathe ... 1 ... 2 ... 1 ... 2 ..._

Once he was able to sit up, Jack crawled to a cool-ish corner in his cell. There was still a faint sobbing coming from a few cells down, but Jack didn't have the breath or energy to call out.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Tooth chimed to the crying child. The whimpering abruptly came to a halt and there were a few whispers from, what seemed to be, more children in the cell. Finally a voice answered Tooth.

"The Tooth Fairy?"

Jack had never been more relieved to hear the sheepish voice of Jamie Bennett before in his life!

**Authors Note:  
Sorry I didn't post another Chapter like i said I would last night. Got a little sidetracked, and ended up on YouTube for quite a while ... you know how it is right? Anyway, I need to do some more homework today so I won't say when the next Chapter will be published for sure, but definitely within the next few days. Please favourite, follow and review. Hope you're all Ok and enjoy Good Friday! - Ellie x**


	10. Chapter 10

"Jamie?" Tooth called, a flicker of hope crossing her face.

In his cell, Jack slumped to the floor, his legs going weak from a mixture of the amount of pain he was currently in and relief of his first-believer being OK.

Jamie was OK right?

"Jamie-" croaked Jack, his voice nothing more than a faint whisper.

"Tooth? Is that you? Are the others here? Santa? Bunny? Sandman? _Jack?_" Panic crept into Jamie's mind as he spoke the Guardians name. He thought the Spirit would have been one of the first to check if he and the others were Ok. The others ...

"Tooth? You there?" Jamie called to the Fairy who replied with a high pitched, yet soothing tone.

"Yes Jamie, I'm here, go ahead. What is it?"

"Me and the others-"

"The others?" A worried Australian accent joined the conversation. "What others Jamie?"

"Me, Pippa, Monty, Caleb, Claude and Cupcake. We saw smoke, only the smoke wasn't normal smoke, it was almost like it was taunting us, making us curious. We went towards it and ended up in the forest, then everything went black! Tooth, where are we? What's happening?"

In the corner, Monty sobbed quietly while Pippa shook with her knees tucked up to her face. Cupcake wore a fierce face but couldn't stop the fear from entering her eyes. The twins, now beside Jamie, were looking at the floor and playing with dirt. Jamie didn't fail to notice their faces where all a shade paler.

"Tooth, we want to get out. We're scared. I'm scared."

At those words, Jack's blue eyes widened with sadness. He wanted nothing more than to get them all out of here, to hug the little boy who was so afraid, to defeat the man intent on destroying the Guardians and what they stood for. But he couldn't. He was helpless, useless ... weak. Jack groaned in annoyance and glared at the fire above him as if he stared hard enough it would cease to exist.

"We need to get out, save children!" North boomed to his friends.

_Tinkle Tinkle_

"Sandy? What is it?" The Spirit of Wonder had heard Sandman's attempt at communication. Even though the spirit was unable to speak, he understood the message within the melodic chime of his friend.

_Sandy knew what to do._

"Go for it Sandy!" Bunny urged, desperate to escape the confinement of the stone walls and the ceiling of fire.

As they all waited in anticipation, a door clicked open, making the sound of metal screeching against stone reverberate off the walls. Then a golden light illuminated the corridors outside of the cells.

Sandy maneuvered his sand to create a small key that glided perfectly into Bunny's lock. When the Pooka bounded out, he gave the Spirit a quick high five and hopped off to reassure the children. After North, Tooth and the cluster of kids were freed, Sandy approached Jack's cell. As the door grated open, none of them could prevent a small gasp from escaping their lips at the sight that met their eyes.

Jack lay on the ground, shaking slightly, his face paler than it usually was. His right arm was hanging limply over his torso while the other was wrapped loosely around a lock of his own silver hair. One of his legs was bent over the other, making the Teen look extremely uncomfortable.

"Jack!" Jamie yelled and scrambled to kneel beside his friends chest ... which was barely moving. "He's hardly breathing! _What's wrong with him?_"

The first of the Guardians to snap out of their shocked daze was Bunny. Standing there with their mouths hanging open was not helping Jack. With a sharp intake of breath, he returned himself back to reality and barked orders at his companions.

"North! Find a way to get the children out of here, or at least look for an escape. Jamie can stay with Jack for the time being. Sandy, take the kids away from this," He gestured to Jack and Jamie on the floor. "They, don't need to see this. Tooth, with me. We need to wake him up."

No one moved, their eyes glued to the frail figure on the floor.

"GUYS!"

This time, they jolted and leaped to fulfill Bunny's commands. Once the children - except Jamie - where out of the room, the Easter Spirit tugged at Tooth's arm and led her to their youngest and newest Guardian. When Bunny glanced at Jamie's face, he saw tear-trails on his cheek and his hazel eyes brimming with un-shed ones. Placing a firm paw on Jamie's shoulder, he faked a reassuring smile and said, "Ok Jamie, we just need to wake him up. He's gonna be Ok mate. Trust me, I won't let frostbite get off this easily."

Jamie chuckled slightly, and backed away from Jack. Glad he had made Jamie a little less worried, Bunny turned his attention to the boy on the floor, his face being tapped lightly by Tooth as she whispered anxiously. "Jack, come on, you've got to wake up. Come on Jack, we're getting out of here. Please, come on, we need you to wake up, we need your help. We haven't got long till someone notices. Jack. Jack? Jack! Come on-"

"Mphff, murgh ..."

Relieved the boy was coming round, Bunny started to join Tooth in helping him regain consciousness.

"That's it snowflake, come on, we can't wait forever you know. That's it."

"B'nny?"

"Yep, it's me! Miss me? Come on Jack, sit up." Then new inspiration hit him. "Jack, Jamie's here!" At Jamie's name, the Spirits sapphire eyes flickered open slightly. Waving a paw at the boy, Bunnymund motioned for Jamie to join them.

"Jack! It's me! Jamie." He couldn't stop the huge smile taking over his face and revealing his missing front tooth he'd lost the last time they had met. Jack's eyes met his and he gave the spirit an encouraging nod. "Jack, look, we have to go. Bunny and Tooth are right. A dude is here who can cast _fire_ out of his hands an-"

"Inferno here?" Fear crept into Jack's face and he swallowed. "It's him."

Confused, Bunny asked, "What's him?"

"He does this to me. It's happened before. In the clearing and on the sleigh. I don't know how. It might be because our powers contradict one another. He has fire, I have ice."

"Jack, why didn't you say something?" Tooth looked at the Teen with a solemn expression.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. And we seemed to have a lot on our plate." He placed a shaky hand delicately over her wrist, smiling at her. The fairies heart of gold never ceased to amaze him.

"Tooth, get Jamie to the others, I'll meet you with Jack in a bit." Bunny said and with Tooth's nervous eyes meeting his, he nodded towards Jamie who watched Jack with a pained and concerned face.

"Come on Jamie," She cheerily patted him on the shoulder and began to lead him out of the room. "Jack'll be fine." And with a last anxious glance back at Bunny, she turned the corner out of sight.

"Ok, can you stand?"

"Never try, never know."

"Need ya staff?"

"Please and Thank You."

Lunging to his right, Bunny grabbed the staff and slid it into Jack's fingers where ice immediately crystallized underneath. Then, grabbing his fellow Guardians pale and cold hand, he pulled the Spirit to his feet.

Bad move.

The sudden change of altitude made the room spin and the flames above Jack's head seemed to dance over his vision. Attempting to clear his head, he squinted his eyes shut and swayed on the spot.

"Jack?" Bunnymund's voice shook slightly, the kid looked worse than he did on the floor. "Jack, mate. You Ok?"

Without warning, Jack's face relaxed and his knees gave way, falling back towards the ground. Luckily, Bunny's reflexes kicked in and he caught the boy under the armpits before his head smashed into the floor.

"Bloody-" He stared down at the limp spirit in his arms, supporting all his weight. "Oh come on! Jack, wake up again mate. We gotta go!" He began to shake the boys shoulders, causing Jack's head to loll to the side and his fringe to fall back off his face. Suddenly, the Easter Spirit was struck by another idea, and second one in the last five minutes. He was on 'fire' today, - so to speak. Turning his gaze to the ceiling on flames, he realised they had grown. _What if the flames have a way of draining his powers._ And as if the flames had heard his thoughts, they gave an almighty roar and flared ferociously. When Bunny turned back to the boy in his arms, Jack's face had become paler and his breathing harsher.

"Ok, mate, we gotta get ya outta here. This place ain't good for ya. Come on, don't make me carry ya, that'd damage both our pride." With no response, he began to shake Jack's shoulders again. "Wake up frostbite, you're givin' me a cold holding ya here like this." Still no response. And as he became more and more desperate, Bunny lost control and shook Jack harshly under his grip. "DAMMIT FROSTY! BLOODY OPEN YA EYES!"

"... d'd you jus' call me Frosty?"

A small voice came from the Teen in his arms. Taken aback that the yelling had actually worked, Bunny jumped to defend himself.

"If you mention one wor-"

"About you panicking and fretting over me. Trust me, I don't want anyone knowing anymore than you do Buddy. Now let me go, I think I can stand. And as soft as your paws are, I prefer them holding boomerangs and not me, Ok?"

Rolling his eyes at the spirit, he cautiously let him go once he'd found his footing. At first Jack swayed slightly, then he clutched at his staff and transferred all his weight onto the stick. Finally able to regain some balance, Jack slowly opened his eyes to be met with two fluffy paws extended infront of him, ready to catch him if he fell. Eyebrows raised, Jack looked at Bunnymund with a mischievous grin. Realising the Teen's satisfaction in seeing him being concerned and protective, he retracted his arms, bring them back to being crossed over his chest and coupled with his usual scowl.

"Not. A. Word." And the threatening but calm voice was enough to wipe the smile off of Jack's pale face.

**Authors Note:  
****I can't believe how long it's been since I posted my last chapter. I'm sorry for the long wait. I had a few personal problems around myself and school but they seem to be on the mend. Hope everyone had a nice Easter and the Easter Bunny left you some nice gifts. ;) This chapter was a NIGHTMARE to write. First time I started writing this, my laptop crashed, second time my laptop froze, third time I accidentally deleted the tab and fourth I forgot to save and logged off. You have no idea how close I came to actually screaming at the screen. So here is the final version of Chapter 10, although there were about 4 other versions that just ... disappeared. Please follow, favourite and leave a review. PM me with ideas and possible stories you want me to write next. Got a few TV shows and movies in mind. Couple of OTP's I would like to write about as well. Right, well I'm going to make myself a cup of tea ( yes, because I am living up to the stereotype of being British! ) and get to work on the next chapter as I feel I've left you all on edge for too long. - Ellie x (Let's all remember to save our work more frequently next time, OK? )**


	11. Chapter 11

"NO!"

The anguished scream echoed through the empty cells where 5 Guardians and 6 cowering children had once been held captive. Surely, they hadn't of gotten far. And how did they escape? He said they couldn't escape. He said they would get what the want. HE had lied, obviously.

Inferno paced back and forth, rubbing his temple with long, needle-like fingers to try and relieve the pressure building underneath his scull as he refrained from setting everything in his sight on fire. How could he let this happen? He had them! He had captured the renowned protectors of children, he had fooled them and enticed them to their prison, which was now void of any Spirits except the irate form of a man dependent on torment.

_Why did i trust him?_ Inferno's voice viciously snapped inside his mind. _He said he could give me power. He said we could have what we both wanted. Pain and suffering at our hands. He would be believed in. I would have revenge. Revenge on Jack Frost. Jack Frost, Jack Frost ... Jack Frost ..._

"JACK FROST!" He couldn't hold in his rage anymore and flames blazed from his palms, scorching the sand in the keyholes, singeing the doors and stone. He needed his revenge and he didn't know how much longer he could be patient for. There was only one thing he could think of, he had to pay a visit to the man behind the plan and his new-found ally.

**XXXX**

Inferno stood in light being provided by a flickering torch of fire to his right hand side. Drumming his hands impatiently on his robe, sending sparks the litter the floor.

"You ought to be careful, you might cause an accident. And we don't want that do we?" A dark voice whispered from within the shadows, not touched by the light. A sly cackle echoed from where the voice had emanated from, only making Inferno more agitated at not being able to see the face of the man he was talking to.

Slightly cautiously, he demanded "Come out! I want to talk to you!"

A calm and eery tone now met Inferno's ears. "I prefer the dark, it makes me feel ... _at home_." His last words were more like a whisper, sending shivers down Inferno's spine. "You want my advice again but you let them escape which leads me to believe you aren't capable of handling such a big task by yourself. You're weak."

At the word weak, Inferno winced but didn't dare interrupt or challenge the speaker, an unknown fear holding him back. The man seemed to radiate fear.

"But I have no other alternative in mind ... yet." Movement from the shadows built the tension in the room. "But if you fail again, I will make. You. Pay."

Inferno couldn't help but swallow down what little saliva was in his mouth as his throat suddenly became unbearably dry. Breathing quicker than usual, he twisted his hands nervously around his cloak. The thought of this man making him 'pay' didn't seem appealing to him at all. However, his tongue feeling like sandpaper, he decided to keep quiet and let the silence scream in his ears.

Acknowledging the effect he had been aiming to inflict on the 'Amatuer' before him, the man hidden in shadows continued to speak, his voice softening. "Now," He began, almost cheerfully, "They wouldn't have gone far from the place you captured them, no doubt taking shelter in a near by cave or abandoned structure of some sort. Being the stuck-up goody-goodies they are, they will almost certainly be protecting the children and watching over them carefully. You will have to be careful how you proceed. I suggest you tempt them out, though not all of them will leave the kids. Knowing the Guardians, either The Fairy Princess or the Beach Ball will stay behind, perhaps both if you make yourself threatening enough."

Nodding, Inferno listened intently, taking in every piece of information the man was giving him.

"Jolly Saint Nicky has dual-swords. He's skilled for such a fat old man. The rabbit has boomerangs, living up to his stereotype. Make sure you have eyes on the set of wooden toys the whole time, or it will - how do I put it? - come back to bite you. Finally, there's Jack Frost."

Inferno stood up straight at the name, picking up the lack of nickname and the venom that laced the name from the man giving him advice.

"Don't underestimate him. His powers are similar to yours. Make him lose control and his powers take on a mind of their own. However, the staff he carries with him is his strength and weakness. Break the staff and then _burn it!_ I made that mistake last time. He will hardly be a threat once his staff is gone."

"Last time?" Inferno inquired, curious about the man's history with the Guardians.

Out of the shadows stepped a tall, lean figure. His broad shoulders were covered with a black cloak, not unlike Inferno's. The man's hands were behind his back, and his movements were slow and spooky. The complexion of his skin was smooth and deathly pale, and his face was lean. In his mouth, pointed teeth like fangs were gleaming except for a missing tooth near the bottom right corner. The man's eyes were pools of darkness, wide and menacing. Black hair was spiked at the back and his head tilted to the side, making him look all the more creepy.

Taking a step back, Inferno practically bowed towards the man and hastily left his presence, muttering about not letting him down and returning with pride.

A hair-raising smile made Pitch Black's lips curl as he watched the Spirit of Fire fade from his sight. Hah! The Guardians would beg for relief after he had made them regret what they done to him! They would beg for mercy ... beg for death!

**Authors Note:  
****Good news! I didn't delete this one five times by accident. Luckily, I remembered to save more often. What do you think of that little twist. Pitch is helping Inferno! Dun dun DUUUUUUNNNNNN! Well, the Guardians are in for an interesting next few hours aren't they? I really enjoyed writing this chapter based around Inferno and Pitch. And I like the fact that Inferno is getting almost bullied by another evil spirit. Please favourite, like and review and I'll see you all for the closing chapters soon. I think there's three more before I wrap my first fanfic up! Next story won't be Rise Of The Guardians related, but that's not to say I won't write more in the future. I'm stuck between a movie and a TV show on what to write next. There's two and I'm trying to decide which I should go for first. Anyhoo, it's lunch time in the UK and I'm STARVING so I will see you all soon - Ellie x**


	12. Chapter 12

"So I can't even hint?" Jack teased with a smirk on his face.

He and Bunny were heading to the light that held the promise of escape in the distance but, now feeling better, Jack had taken to falling into an old habit of taunting the Easter Spirit with whatever chance he got.

"I've told ya, Frost-Face, not a word!"

"Come on, you're no fun!"

"Oh, ya think this is fun? If ya hadn't noticed, we are currently being threatened by a big bad man with some anger issues who's a serious fire hazard. If that weren't bloody weird enough, we have six kids to keep track of and you who seems to be on his last legs every time he sees a bloody flicker of a flame!"

Letting his emotions fly, Bunny spoke without thinking. It was all starting to build up in his head and that outburst seemed to have cleared his thoughts. Coming to a still, he sighed and turned round to face the Winter Spirit. Guilt rose to the forefront of his feelings. Jack had pulled short a few metres behind him, his eyes full of hurt and anger. Shoulders slumped and hands swaying by his side, the Guardian of Fun looked at Bunnymund in disbelief.

Jack I-" Bunny began, only to be cut off with a quiet mumble.

"No, don't apologise. You're right. I don't know what happens or why it happens but whenever I go near _him_ or his flames, it feels like a part of me is on fire. And my instinct tells me to get as far away from the psycho as possible. But I can't. I just freeze ... excuse the pun." He added, his lips twitching up at the edges briefly, before returning to a neutral expression.

Bunnymund didn't know what to say. Jack's sudden honesty and opening up had hit him with suprise. Even if the kid was going to share his thoughts and feelings, he _never_ would have guessed it to be to him.

"Umm, I ... Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's get you right again." He filled his statement with as much enthusiasm and determination as he could muster. Jack seemed to pick up on his tone and his head snapped up to meet Bunny's with a grin.

"Let's go!"

**XXXX**

He could feel the wind whipping his face, feel the cold air around him. But he had been told what to do. And nothing and no one was going to stop him!

**XXXX**

Jack and Bunnymund squinted at the sudden brightness of the outside. A couple of yards away stood North, Tooth and Sandman. Each of them enclosing the group of children in a protective and reassuring circle. As the two Spirits approached them, Jamie dodged under North's bicep and hurtled towards Jack, jumping up and wrapping his arms tightly around the Guardians neck. Slightly taken aback, Jack slowly patted the young boy on the back before smiling at the huddle of children peering around the big build of North.

**XXXX**

He had no specific plan, he just knew he had to beat them, once and for all. As he approached the destination, he worked up his anger to rage.

**XXXX**

"I'm so glad you're OK!" Jamie said, for the fourth time in three minutes, his voice muffled by Jack's blue hoodie which his face was pressed against.

Chuckling, Jack looked at the boy in his arms. "Jamie, I said I was OK. I'm OK buddy, look, good as new!" He pushed Jamie gently away from his chest so the boy could confirm for himself that Jack was alright. Looking him up and down a couple of times, Jamie smiled and turned back to his friends. Standing up from his crouched position on the ground, the Guardian of Fun surveyed his fellows faces.

Tooth was looking at Bunny, having some kind of conversation without words being spoken. After a few seconds, they broke their stares and Tooth hugged Jack lightly. When she let go, her face tinged pink and she spoke quietly. "I'm glad you're OK. I knew you'd be alright."

**XXXX**

There were voices in the distance. Children? And others, louder and more powerful ...

**XXXX**

"We can not stay out here. It is not safe!" North stated, thumping Jack on the back, making the Teen stumble forwards. "We must get children to safety."

**XXXX**

He was so close!

**XXXX**

"Where should we go? The Pole, The Warren?" Asked Tooth.

"_Why bother?_"

Each of them jumped at the familiar yet unwelcome voice that joined their discussion. As they turned around, in between the children and the Guardians, stood Inferno.

**Authors Note:  
****Yay! The new Princess is here! Congrats Kate and Prince Will. Again, sorry this chapter took so long. I've been very busy lately. I think the next chapter might be a bit longer than the previous ones as I have a lot to fit in so that might be up a little later than usual. Please Follow, Favourite and Review. Still trying to decide on what my next fanfic will be on. Cheers everyone! - Ellie x**


	13. Chapter 13

Silence.

Painful silence.

Deafening, unwanted, piercing silence.

No one dared move, afraid of what anothers actions might be to either counter or join theirs.

"Well, as fun as this is, I really think the musical statues thing we have going on here isn't really working without - you know - the _music._"

Everyone turned to look at the Spirit of Fun, mouths open in a perfect 'o'. In return, Jack just shrugged his shoulders.

"What?" He said, winking at the children huddled together instinctively to make themselves smaller. Then his eyes met the man who was the cause of the fear. Again, the flames were inside him, roaring, threatening to pull him down into a pit of weakness. But this time seemed different. _Why?_ He wasn't complaining of course, but it didn't stop his curiosity eating away at him. Somehow, the burning sensation was more bearable. It wasn't as strong and he knew he could defeat the source of the blaze inside of him. But first, he had to get the children safe. There was no telling how messy this could get.

He turned his head to the side, facing Sandy and Tooth. Jack's eyes widened and without moving his head, he let his line of sight trace back to the small group of children standing behind Inferno, then back at the pair of Guardians. After a few seconds, Sandy and Tooth slowly locked stares then faced Jack and gave him a small nod. Both their faces were set in determination and Sandy had both his fists clenched, adrenaline ready to fuel his speed to the kids. '_Well, that's one thing sorted' _Jack thought, '_Now it's just down to getting rid of the lunatic with a flame addiction. Pfft, piece of cake._'

Once again turning his head to the side, he was met with the set faces of Bunnymund and North. North's fingers were twitching impatiently towards the hilts of his dual blades whilst Bunnymund was bobbing up and down on his feet, rolling his shoulders back and forth then cracking his neck to the side. Jack let a smirk spread across his features as he aligned his body to oppose Inferno's.

Jack's grin did it's job, and infuriated the Evil Spirit before them. His own smile faltered until it was non-existent, only to be replaced by a menacing snarl. Inferno simply looked at the four Guardians before him and shook his head.

"He warned me about you. He said you would do anything to protect the children. And just look at you, he was right!" It was clear to Jack that Inferno was beginning to lose control again, and next to him, he felt Sandy inch abruptly forwards. "I mean, why would you want to protect _these _little brats?" As he spoke, he waved his palm behind him, making the children back away with a jolt, Monty stumbling slightly and his scarlet glasses sliding down his freckled nose. They had to move fast, and soon.

"Leave them out of it." North commanded, curling a fist over his sword. The tension was building ...

"Why? They are nothing. We have power! We have SO MUCH POWER!" Jack winced, the fire in him building alongside Inferno's rage. Inferno's rage! His fire. It was all linked. Inferno's fire was fueled by rage. And his rage increased his power, and his hunger for revenge, somehow focused onto Jack. He wanted revenge from Jack. And the fact that fire and ice do NOT mix was just the icing on the cake. So all Jack had to do was take away his want for revenge - or try getting him to meditate, but that wasn't really going to happen right now - or at least make Inferno calm down, reason with him. Well, nothing was impossible. Perhaps they could make him weaker, drain a little of his power so he was running out of energy, then make him listen. It was worth a shot.

"We don't use or abilities for our own benefit mate, unlike the raving loony you are!" '_Ahhh, Bunny ... that probably didn't help to calm him down._'

"Loony? I am not a lunatic, Rabbit! I am Inferno and you will do as I say!" Sparks flew from his hands, and dark billows of smoke began to waft around their feet. '_So not good!'_

Just as Bunny opened his mouth, about to make another remark to anger the Flaming Spirit, Jack thrust his staff down on the Coney's foot, making the Pooka whimper in pain and give Jack a glare that could only mean 'and I thought he was the Loony!' Jack just shook his head and narrowed his eyes. Although Bunnymund was oblivious to the Winter Spirits previous realisation, he didn't need the Easter Spirit to say more. Now with the confused attention of North, Jack looked at them both and shook his head again. He didn't want either of them doing anything.

Too late ...

Not even a second after shaking his head at North and Bunnymund, Jack felt a burst of speed from his other side and flames erupted in front of him, a wave of heat throwing them all off balance. Inferno had had enough and grown impatient, deciding that to get their attention, he would simply burn the children. If it were not for Sandy's reflexes, and shield of sand, Jamie and his friends wouldn't be alive. After the collision with the flames, the grainy protection covering the group of kids simply fell to the ground. It wouldn't work again and the other Guardians knew it. Time to act and time to fight. Swinging both his swords into the air, North projected himself towards Inferno, roaring as he soared through the air. Much to their dismay, Inferno was prepared for the strike and swerved to the side, sending a jet of fire at the hilts of the swords. North let out a yelp and dropped his blades to his feet, where they now lay, smoking on the ground. Tooth flew to help Sandy escort the children into the trees, whilst Bunnymund moved to attack. Boomerangs didn't work last time but egg-bombs would be enough of a distraction for Jack to break through. Taking a deep breath, Jack readied himself and summoned all the strength he could. With a with a quick nod, Bunny threw the first of many egg-bombs and disappeared into a cloud of colour, flashes of vibrant fog exploding caught Jack's eyes in every direction. The wind picked up and made the area around them a hurricane of multicoloured mist. Finally, it rounded on Jack and pushed him into the chaos of colour.

He couldn't see, and he soon lost his sense of direction. Only just could he make out his hand in front of his face, and the fumes of the egg-bombs began to engulf him further into a state of confusion and mild panic. Suddenly, a blaze licked Jack's bare, cold feet and instinctively he leapt back, falling into a tall, smoking figure. '_Oops._'

Inferno's eyes were livid, and if looks could kill, Jack would be six feet under, ten times over! His hands were a-blaze and black smoke interupted the sea of neon churning around them. Jack couldn't see nor sense Bunnymund near them, he must have either left to help the others or been badly hurt. But he could worry about that later, right now, Inferno was going _down!_

Jack lifted his staff and whipped it through the air, making a ferocious wire of ice strike Inferno across his face. It seemed to take the man by surprise, his features momentarily shocked and in pain, but only for a second. He soon recovered and sent a fireball barreling towards Jack's chest. Anticipating the move before it happened, Jack flew out of the path of the move and countered it with sharp icicles tracing the fireballs source. Inferno yelled in pain as one struck his shoulder before melting and evaporating. Taking advantage of his opponents sudden weakness, Jack flipped over the Evil Spirits head, landing faultlessly behind and thrusting the force of a blizzard at Inferno's back, making him soar through the air and collide harshly with a near-by tree. Still possessing some strength, the Flaming Man thrust his fist and scorched Jack's thigh with a spear of Magma. The Spirit of Winter stumbled, clutching his injured leg before tapping his skin and allowing a blanket of thick, cooling ice to cover the burn. It'll be sore later, but it wasn't enough to bring down the mighty Guardian. Smiling, he turned back to Inferno who had returned to standing. Not for long! Jack thought fast and zig-zagged through the air, projecting himself from tree to tree above Inferno's head weightlessly, gaining height on the man below. Finally, he reached his desired altitude and fell into the winds trustworthy arms. Zooming to the ground, he pointed his staff straight at Inferno and shot numerous jets of ice at his rival, each hitting their target with a satisfying force until Inferno could not withstand another blunt chunk of ice bruising his skin and fell to his knees. To finish their battle, Jack simply flew beside the crumpled form of Inferno and crouched to his level. In a daze and barely conscious, Inferno scowled lop-sidedly up at Jack Frost, his scarlet-auburn eyes meeting glistening, wide sapphires. With a small chuckle, Jack stated "I may not have dream-sand, but this won't take much. Sleep tight." And with that he dropped a heavy ball of snow and ice on top of Inferno's head.

"See you when you wake up, Princess."

**Authors Note:  
****Yep, I've been a busy bunny - no pun intended. Only two more chapter of my first story left! Can't believe it! I want to thank all of you who have reviewed, followed and favourited so far! Your comments are so helpful and uplifting. Thank you! Also, I am currently starting a collab story with the amazing 'I Am The Eleventh'. Check her out, she's an awesome Author! Rise of the Brave Frozen Tangled Dragons at Hogwarts. Who doesn't love a bit of HP thrown in somewhere. :) Will let you know more in the future. I will also be writing another independent story after this one. But that one is still in Limbo at the moment, totally undecided STILL! I know! Anyhoo, please continue to like, favourite and review. Let me know any requests and I'll see what I can do. - Ellie x**


	14. Chapter 14

"Shhh, I think he's waking up!"

"What do you mean 'shh'?"

"Guys, be quiet!"

"Is it possible for a dude that can literally com-bust to have a fever?"

"Jack, shut ya mouth!"

"Bite me bunny, or would you like a carrot instead!"

"Why you little-"

"_Shut Up ..._"

Slouched and leaning against the trunk of a tree, Inferno attempted to peel open his eyelids. Was his face wet? And ... cold? Since when does he get cold? The numbness and nip of the winter air was almost foreign. He'd forgotten the prick and pinch of ice, and he certainly didn't like it.

"What happened? Where am I?" He asked in a low grumble, blindly rubbing his forehead with a slippery hand. _Ow!_

"Bloody 'ell Jack! How hard ya hit him?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Next time, I'll ask the dude politely if he'll stop trying to Barbecue us all!"

"Guys, do we have to do this now?"

"Tooth is right, there is no point in arguing over such man as this?"

"Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

"After you!"

"Ladies first Bun- AH!"

"Bunny!"

He had absolutely no idea what was going on, but Inferno kept his mouth tightly closed. Something was telling him not to interrupt the short banter they were having, for his own sake. Oh, and his head hurt like someone had dropped the moon on it! But, now oblivious to the chatter in the background, he tried once again to open his eyes, letting a slither of light dance through to meet his pupils. After blinking a couple of times, he prized his eyes open fully to be met with a blue and silver silhouette crouching by his side.

"...What?"

"Someone needs to learn some manners!"

"Jack!"

"Ok!" The last response was a little louder than the previous and was left echoing round Inferno's dull head. "What do you remember?"

Well, that question was softer than he expected. The boy was - his name? Jake Frost? Jamie? Is there a Jamie? Josh? Jack? Jack! Jack ... Frost? Anyway, he was calm and seemed more fragile than most, holding himself easily upon his knees. One arm was resting on his thigh, the other wrapped around the staff, towering above them both. Then panic struck him. He couldn't remember hardly anything. Why was he in a pile of snow, soaking wet, _shivering_ and surrounded by the Guardians. He hated the Guardians so why was he just lying at their feet and not torturing them in some form or another?

"Hey, you still with us?"

"Hm? No. No, I don't remember anything." He had to do something, tackle one of them, hold one of them hostage. He could of sworn there were children near-by. Why not snatch one of them.

At first Jack frowned, but then he began to smirk. "Jeez, next time I'll just give him a brain freeze!"

_Tinkle _

"Yeah, or ask Sandy to knock him out with dream sand." North chuckled.

Jack's shoulders shrugged in the direction of the jolly ball of sand, hovering next to Tooth, before turning back to Inferno.

"Ok, let's start from the beginning. Do you know who we are?"

"Yes."

"Do you know _what _we are?"

"Uh huh."

"Do you know why you're here?"

"Not fully, but I know we aren't on the best of terms." _Grab a kid!_

"Right ... do you know why you want to attack us at every chance you get?"

"Yes."

The word came out of his mouth before he fully knew he remembered. And then the hatred and fury came flooding back into his mind and a small spark of energy flickered in his chest and fingers.

"Care to share?" Jack said with a raised eyebrow, slowly rising to his feet, in between North and Bunny.

Inferno hesitated for a moment before saying simply and blankly, "I hate you."

There was silence. All the Guardians wore expressions of surprise and confusion. It was a full minute before Bunnymund finally spoke. "Well this is awkward." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Any reason why you hate us? Didn't get to find any eggs at Easter? No presents from Santa?"

"No! Nothing as pathetic as that!" The flames were growing. _The kids won't do. Get a Guardian._

"Then what?" Chimed Tooth. Her eyebrows were knitted together in a mix of guilt, confusion and anger.

Inferno just shrugged then stated, "You are with him!"

He pointed a long, bony finger towards Jack's chest. Taken aback, the Winter Spirit's piercing blue eyes widened, his eyebrows rose and his lips parted to let his mouth hang open.

Next to the boy, however, Bunnymund merely crossed his arms and scoffed. "What could Jack do? Are ya kidding me?"

The Blaze-Man leaned forward and began to get to his feet, the simple action causing his head to throb. Never the less, he paced forward till his nose was almost touching the Easter Spirit's and said with a dangerously deep, quiet voice, " ... Do I _look_ like I'm kidding?"

Much to the other Guardians' surprise, Bunnymund stepped back. As much as he hated to admit it, that man could be intimidating!

"What did I do?" The question was quiet and frail, almost a whisper and nothing like the Guardian of Fun's usual joking tone.

Inferno snapped his gaze from Bunnymund to the teen spirit beside him. "Let me tell you."

_Flashback_

"AMOS! AMOS! AMOS COME BACK HERE!"

His name was echoing around the forest but he didn't care. He wasn't going back there. That was the final straw! No more teasing from the village boys, no more orders from his mother, no more _beatings_ from his father. He had had it! He wasn't going back.

The scrawny 17 year old was darting through the trees, away from the village and choruses of Christmas Carols joined with his name interrupting the cheer. His bare feet snagged on broken twigs and slippery moss-covered dirt. What he had ever done to deserve this, he didn't know. All he could think of right now was running and not looking back - EVER!

The sun was setting and the orange glow was beginning to fade. Soon it would be dark and below freezing. He had to find somewhere to sleep for the night. In the morning he would sneak back to his house, gather some supplies and run for the next village, then the next, then the next ...

Moonlight weaved through the trees casting intimidating shadows on the forest floor around Amos' feet. His thoughts distracted him from his path and before long his concentration was non-existant. While his mind nagged away at itself, he subconsciously found a cluster of trees and gathered wood, branches and leaves, enough to make a small fire. It had begun to snow and the wind was picking up. _Perhaps a blizzard was on the way _he thought to himself. Any other day, people in the village enjoyed the snow. Sometimes, it was a cause for celebration. Tonight, however, would mean he would need to keep himself warm - and alive. Amos was a sickly teen, with a greyish palour and constant dark bags under his eyes. Winter was the season which caused him to come down with fevers, colds and even from the comfort of his own wooden house, hypothermia.

Thankfully, he was still shivering, but parts of his body were beginning to numb. Amos piled the fuel onto the forest floor and, grabbing two stones, sparked the flames to life. The light emitted a rich luminescent glow. Feeling the instant heat, Amos curled up beside the fire and allowed his eyes to become transfixed on the flicker of the flames tongues. Not three minutes later, exhaustion took over and he drifted off to sleep ...

**XXXX**

Amos woke to a low rumbling sound in his ears, but unmistakably growing. Thinking he was just dreaming, he allowed himself to nuzzle back down into the crook of his elbow and sleep engulfed him once more.

**XXXX**

The next time Amos woke was not to a rumble, but to a roar and the smell of smoke. _What was going on? _Opening his eyes, he jumped to his feet and was struck viciously by shock. The whole forest around him was on fire. Branches were falling to the floor with resounding crunches and snaps, smoke mixed with the wind of a blizzard and the bitter nip of ice. There was no fresh air and the atmosphere was sticky and thick. Bewildered by the abrupt turn of events, Amos just stood and blinked, leaning against the tree he had slept by. _How?_ Perhaps the wind had blown the flames? Maybe the fire had just spread? His mind was telling him to run, to yell for help but he was unable to move. The orange blaze held his mind from rationality and somehow, he didn't want to leave. The Inferno was warm, welcoming. It intrigued him and offered to feed his curiosity. It looked like oblivion and the abyss began to draw him in further.

_Snap, crackle, CRACK!_

From the tree above, a thick branch plummeted through the air towards Amos' head. He knew no more of that night ...

_End Flashback_

"When I woke, I was covered in a blanket of ash and confronted by the Moon. It told me I was saved." Inferno looked towards to sky then back to the Guardians. "Then a man came out of the shadows. He said he could help guide me. Help me understand. So I followed him and he told me of you and your-" He paused and eyed Jack's staff, "-'abilities'. And that's when I knew."

Tooth looked at the man with pity. With a soft tone she asked, "Knew what?"

"Knew that Jack Frost was the reason I died and am like this."

Each of the Guardians turned to look at Jack. The Winter Spirit wore an expression so full of guilt and hurt, it would have made even the happiest being on Earth to become glum. With eyes sparkling and knuckles white, Jack turned to Inferno and met his expressionless stare with his own emotion-filled one. "I'm so sorry."

"If you had seen me, seen how cold I was, seen how alone and lost I was, I could have lived. If you weren't there that night and if you hadn't of found it _fun_ to freeze me to death, I wouldn't of lit a fire. If you hadn't conjured a blizzard, the fire wouldn't of spread-"

"There's no way of knowing that-" Bunny interrupted, defending Jack who seemed to be backing away from Inferno little by little, his eyes fixated on his feet and looking disgusted at himself.

"Yes there is! He did it! He killed me! He was the reason for the fire! The moon saved me but why am I like this? Cursed? Alone? I was always alone! Always the odd one out. That was until I found someone who understood me. He helped me and saved me from myself. He knew what it was like to be different and alone."

Now it was North's turn to become inquisitive. "He? Who is he?"

With that question, Inferno's lips curled at the edges and his eyes darkened. Eyebrows drawn together and head tilted upward, he replied, "Pitch Black."

The effect was instantaneous. Tooth let out a small squeal and fluttered back to the huddle of children, who had remained silent in the background. Sandy's dainty hands curled into fists and wisps of sand protruded from his ears. North's face darkened and, if the others weren't mistaken, he _growled. _Bunny jumped back in surprise at their old foes name but then turned to Jack, who was still looking at the floor as if nothing had changed. The teen's eyes were the only part of his body showing any emotion. They were flickering everywhere in his sight of the floor as if searching for something small and lost.

"He told me all about you, he told me who you are and what each of you can do. And who you care about ..." He added with a dangerous tone and a pointed look towards the children. Just as he said those words, flames blazed out of his palms and thrust each of the Guardians back. Tooth and North barreled towards the petrified kids, whilst Sandy was thrown behind. Bunnymund and Jack hurtled into near-by trunks of thick oak trees and fell to the dirt. Happy with this result, Inferno advanced towards the Guardian of Fun and Hope.

"You. Will. Pay!" Roared Inferno. Bunnymund leaped up and grabbed Jack's arm, assisting to ascent with his. Both stood together and held their weapons ready in their palms. But the Blaze-Man merely laughed. "Not this time!" With a flick of his wrist, Bunnymund's - new - Boomerangs turned to ash.

"They were bloody new!" He spat at their rival. But before he had a chance to make a move, a small yelp beside him cut him short. Jack's staff was on the floor and smoking slightly. Bunnymund turned to his friend and saw his face contorted with anguish. "Jack?"

Smirking, Inferno snatched the staff from their reach and carelessly tossed it behind him. "Wouldn't want that getting in the way would we." He shook a finger teasingly in front of their faces then cracked a flaming whip across each of their cheeks, knocking them to their knees.

"Jack!"

"Bunny!"

Tooth and North's screams from the distance rang in their ears. But the next was heard and listened to above them all.

"Hey!"

_Jamie No!_ Jack thought to himself. He tried to stand but was too weak and fell back to his knees.

Inferno, on the other hand, seemed amused and enjoying the havoc he was causing. "What a _brave_ little boy. Foolish, but brave."

"Please! Stay away from him!" Jack begged, tears threatening to fall.

Jamie, however, stepped forward and grabbed Jack's staff.

"You can't do anything with that, little boy. No one can, except your friend Jack over there, but he's busy right now." Then Inferno remembered Pitch's warning. _Destroy the staff! _"Give it to me."

"No." Jamie squared his shoulders and looked behind him at his approaching friends. Cupcake stood by his right and Claude and his brother by his left. Monty and Pippa stood behind.

"I said, Give it to ME!"

"No!"

"ARGHHHH!" Inferno had lost his patience and darted towards the children. Instinctively, Jack flung himself in the same direction.

What happened next happened to fast ...

**Authors Note:  
****I am so sorry for the long wait. Longest chapter so far and I had a lot of explaining to do. Next chapter is the last! Can't believe it! Thank you for all your lovely reviews, it's wonderful to here such a major and successful response. I would of posted this up sooner but have been incredibly busy. Main reason being I went to Radio 1's Big Weekend last weekend which was when I was meant to write it. Sorry ... that took priority. Taylor Swift, Olly Murs, Imagine Dragons, Clean Bandit, Rita Ora, Foo Fighters and George Ezra were kind of a big thing! Also, I've been struggling with anxiety and panic attacks a lot since January. So to go to a festival on that scale was a really big step for me, but I did it! Yay! As always, please favourite, follow and review. It really helps to motivate and get my brain moving :) I'll hopefully post up the final chapter very soon. See you then - Ellie x P.S: Thank you again ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So, here it is. The last chapter to my first ever fic. Wow, it's gone pretty fast, and the response was way better than I ever expected. You can definitely hold out for more fics in the future. My next one will start pretty soon, so keep your eyes peeled. Also got the collab story with I Am The Eleventh to look forward to ( Rise of the Brave Frozen Tangled Dragon with a bit of Harry Potter thrown in. I can assure you, that's gonna be EPIC. We're both putting a lot of work into it.) Go check her out. Without further ado, enjoy.**

"NO!" Jack screamed, throwing himself towards Jamie and the others.

Inferno flew forwards, hands outstretched for Jack's staff.

"Jamie! Run!" Bunny yelled.

Jamie didn't need telling twice.

Clutching the staff close to his chest, he darted to the side, his friends following his lead. They weaved behind a tree and ran with all the force they could muster towards to the Guardians. Inferno pulled short and started to gain the distance he'd lost.

"Jamie!" Jack shouted, eyes wide in terror. "Jamie, throw me the staff!"

Jamie continued to run, glancing behind his shoulder to locate their pursuer.

"Jamie, now!"

With a determined look on his face, Jamie thrust his arm forward. Everyone watched as the staff span through the air in slow motion. The world seemed to lose it's sense of time as all eyes followed the spinning weapon as it flew through the air. Jack jumped to wrap a hand around the branch. The effect was instantaneous.

Ice slithered from the point of contact with its master and a loud crackling noise echoed around the area. A bright white light burst from the hooked end, shooting to the floor and under the feet of the scarpering children. Each of them fell to their hands and knees, but doubling their speed along the path of ice. A second flash of light. Inferno's ear-splitting roar made Jack's insides shake. Growing fingers of ice were slowly encasing his legs and proceeding to blanket the rest of his body. The frozen prison was snaking over his hips, then stomach, then ribs, then neck and arms. It continued to spread until it reached the crown of his head, his face frozen in a furious expression. Inferno was Ice.

"Well, _that's_ ironic." Jack said at last. Once again, everyone gaped in disbelief at the spirit's untimely humour.

"You've just frozen a man in a second skin of ice and you're cracking _jokes?_" Bunny said, exasperated.

"It's not going to last forever!" Jack rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Just until we get him somewhere safe and secure."

Sandy was tapping at the ice with a curious frown. His bemused expression and cautious taps amused Jack. But now was not the best time to laugh.

Tooth and North joined Sandy in examining the sculpture-like statue of the 'Blaze-Man' while Bunny rounded up the kids.

"Hey Jack?"

Jack looked down just as small arms engulfed him in a tight, warm hug. Smiling, he bent down, leveling with the young boy. His first-believer ...

"Yeah?"

"You're my hero."

The words were so innocent. So ... honest. Jamie still clung to Jack's torso.

"And you're mine."

Jamie pulled away from his tight grip of the spirit to gape, open mouthed, at the immortal teen before him.

Placing a hand on the boy's shoulders, Jack looked at Jamie with a gentle expression.

"You were a hero tonight Jamie." The young lad's features twisted into a mixture of shock and pride. "Without you, Inferno would of won. Without you, we would still be under his power. Without you, none of us would of had the strength to keep fighting. It's your belief, your bravery and faith Jamie, that keeps us fighting. You saved more than just your friends tonight, you saved the Guardians. And that makes you more important and powerful than you know. You're a hero Jamie. You're a Guardian. And we all believe in you."

Looking up from where he was blushing at his feet, Jamie cast his sight about the area. His friends, North, Bunny, Tooth and Sandy were all smiling at him broadly. Immediately filled with a new confidence, a new sense of worth and wonder, he turned to look at his audience and said-

"We're all Guardians."

**XXXX**

"So, Inferno's all locked up in the Pole. The yeti's were pretty quick about whipping up some kind o' contraption ta hold a power-hungry highly flammable spirit. Honestly, I think we give 'em less credit than they deserve."

The Guardian's sat on the tall towers of Tooth Palace. North had brought them all hot-chocolate, except for Jack who was more used to a less-warming beverage. It had been a week since the incident with Inferno. After they had safely taken the children back to their houses, and with a little help from Sandy, seen them off to sleep, they had returned to the Pole where the yeti's had began constructing a cell-like room for the evil-spirit to be kept in. Here they were, a week later, sitting together and listening to the flutter of tiny wings.

Bunny continued to talk to North and Sandy about how the yeti's could be of use to him in his warren. Tooth, however, swiftly flew next to Jack. The normally spriteful spirit now hung his head and swung his legs over the edge of the tower with a troubled expression clouding his features.

"Jack?" As Tooth approached him, she laid a delicate hand on his shoulder. Her smiled at the gesture and peered out from behind his hanging curtain of silvery locks. Ruffling up his mop of shaggy hair with his spindly fingers, he turned his head to look at Tooth as she spoke.

"What's wrong?" Her high-pitched melodic voice held a wave of worry. As did her eyes. Not wishing to lie and very much wanting to console in someone, Jack decided to be honest with her.

"Do you think I really was to blame?"

It took Tooth a while to realise what he was on about. _Oh,_ she thought, _Inferno._

She looked deeply into his eyes before saying simply, "No."

Jack's shoulders sunk and he turned away once more.

"Jack, what happened to Inferno ... or Amos, whichever, was not your fault. You are not to blame for his death. As horrible as it may seem, you were not to know. He was as much to blame as anyone. He lit the fire, he ran away. He was the one who fell asleep near an open, un-controlled flame. It could of happened any night, in the slightest wind. And it's frequently cold in the evening, anywhere. He would of had to light a fire under any circumstances."

Jack raised his eyebrows and looked painfully towards Tooth again. She looped an arm over his shoulder and pulled him into a soft hug.

"Jack, don't blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault." She whispered comfortingly.

The two remained silent for the rest of the evening, Tooth still holding Jack in a protective and reassuring embrace.

**XXXX**

"Jamie?"

"Urgh! What is it this time?"

"Claude, roll him out of bed!"

Jamie fell to his floor with a bang as his quilt was whipped from his hold, exposing the cool morning air to his still warm skin.

"Hey-"

Caleb and Claude hoisted him to his feet while Cupcake thrust a coat and hat into his chest.

"Mmphf."

"Careful Cupcake!"

"Sorry ..."

Still sluggish from just waking up, Jamie blinked the blurriness from his eyes and looked around his room. Monty and Pippa stood near the window, holding his sledge, Cupcake his scarf and gloves and the Twins were still clutching his elbows.

All were clad in their winter clothes of a thick woolen coat, and set of Winter coverings.

"What are you guys doing?"

"It's that time of year again."

"Our favourite."

"You should see outside, there's, like, ten feet of snow!"

"Stop exaggerating Caleb."

"Ok, more like five, but it's white over."

"Jamie, Jack's been."

Everyone was speaking at once. Snow, ten feet, six, Jack- Jack! Of course, his signature snow days. His kind-of Christmas present to them all. Every year, the last two weeks of December, would be Jack's famous snow days. Every inch of Burgess was covered in frozen flakes of ice. And for the kids, that meant sledging, igloos and awesome renowned snowball fights.

"Come on Jamie! Get a move on. We'll meet you outside." Pippa propped the sledge against his wardrobe and followed the others out of his bedroom, shutting the door with a soft _click _behind them.

Ten minutes passed and Jamie joined his friends in an epic snowball fight. They played from dawn to dusk. Smiles and carols were seen and heard everywhere. Children were laughing and parents were watching on contently at the competition between the group of kids.

High up above the Burgess rooftops, drifting in the wind, Jack Frost beamed down on _his_ group of children. Happiness radiated off the scene, like it was contagious, and the Guardian of Fun welcomed it generously. "Merry Christmas," He whispered from the clouds, "Guardians."

**Authors Note:**

**Oh. My. Goodness! I'm done! I really hope this didn't disappoint anyone. 15 Chapters later and I managed to actually finish it _happily._ Well, I know I ended it in the wrong season, but hey, think of it this way. You'll just have to come back and read it again come Christmas. ( Mwahaha ) Anyhoo, thank you all for your reviews and follows. Keep the favourites coming and look out for my future fics. It's been an honour guys, see you soon - Ellie x**


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